Method and apparatus for cleaning electrostatic painting hooks
OwnerCarlton Manninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for isolating non-conductive oxide constituents of paint from the product support hook surfaces of an electrostatic painting conveyor, coats the hooks with a conductive coat of primer paint having from 10% to 80% finely divided conductive materials in a combustible base, and after using the product support hooks for spray painting product units until a non-conductive paint coating builds-up, removes the build-up and the primer coat in a burn-off oven, so as to provide conductive hook surfaces for repeating the process cycle.
Claims36
A method for isolating paint with a non-conductive oxide constituent from a conductive surface to facilitate cleaning thereof, comprising the steps of:
- providing a conductive, primer coat having up to 80% finely divided conductive material by volume dispersed in a combustible, hardening base;
- applying the conductive primer coat to the conductive surface and allowing the base to harden;
- and
- applying paint having a non-conductive oxide constituent over the primer coat.
A method for isolating paint with a non-conductive oxide constituent from product support hooks, as used for electrostatic painting, comprising the steps of:
- providing a conductive primer paint having up to approximately 80% by volume of a finely divided conductive material dispersed in a hardening, combustible base;
- applying the conductive primer coating to the product support hooks and allowing the base to harden;
- attaching product units to the product support hooks for painting;
- grounding the product support hooks, so that electrical continuity is established through the conductive primer to the product units;
- providing electrostatically charged paint having a non-conductive oxide constituent;
- and
- electrostatically attracting the charged paint to the grounded product units and the conductive primer coating of the product support hooks, so as to paint the product units, thereby also depositing paint on the conductive primer coating.
Apparatus for isolating paint with a non-conductive oxide constituent from a conductive surface to facilitate cleaning thereof, comprising:
- a conductive surface;
- a conductive primer paint, having up to approximately 80% by volume of finely divided conductive materials dispersed in a combustible base, coating the conductive surface;
- and
- a paint having a non-conductive oxide constituent applied over the primer coating.
Apparatus for maintaining the electrical continuity in an electrostatic spray painting product process line comprising:
- an electrostatic painting enclosure including an electrically charged paint source;
- a looped and electrically grounded conveyor chain and track passing through the painting enclosure;
- electrically conductive product support hooks attached to the conveyor chain at spaced intervals;
- an electrically conductive primer coating, having up to approximately 80% finely divided conductive material by volume dispersed in a combustible base and applied to the surface of the product support hooks;
- one or more coats of paint from the charged source coating the product support hooks over the primer coating, so as to be isolated thereby from the hook surface;
- and
- means for removal of the paint and primer coatings.
Apparatus for isolating paint with a non-conductive oxide constituent from a conductive surface to facilitate cleaning thereof, comprising:
- a conductive surface;
- a conductive primer coating, having up to approximately 80% by volume of finely divided conductive material, dispersed in a combustible base for application to the conductive surface;
- one or more coats of paint having a non-conductive oxide constituent applied over the primer coating;
- and
- means for removing the one or more coats of paint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.